NEWS: Sleaford Mods: Invisible Britain @ ARC

The documentary is screened in Stockton next week

By Lee Fisher
on Tuesday, March 15th, 2016

It’s inevitable that Sleaford Mods’ slow climb to their current status as perhaps the most vital and thrilling act in the UK would see them become the subject of a documentary. But rather than the standard, tiresome rock doc format, the directors of Invisible Britain – Nathan Hannawin and Paul Sng – were smart enough to create something far more in keeping with the spirit of their subject.

The film – made in the run-up to last year’s disastrous election – juxtaposes Sleaford Mods’ tour of the kind of places that tend to get ignored by bands these days with a look at the state of those often bleak and hopeless towns, interviewing activists and community workers or just those at the sharp end of the austerity narrative, along with myriad fans who are as diverse as you’d imagine for an act that doesn’t easily fit into any genre but acts as a lightning rod for anger and despair.

Through it all, Jason Williamson is as thoughtful and frustrated as ever, a million miles away from the ticcing, frenetic stage persona, while Andrew Fearn is a calm and quietly amused figure. There’s a wealth of great live footage too that goes some way to capturing the Mods live experience.

In the absence of a distributor, a series of screenings are being organised across the UK and it’s the turn of Stockton – which features in the film – on Monday 21st March, at the ARC. If you can’t make it, of course, you could always order it directly from the makers here.